Every year, California’s money bail system keeps thousands of people in jail before they get their day in court – all because they can’t afford to post bail and buy their freedom. The median bail amount in California is $50,000.

When this happens, people stay in jail for weeks, months, and sometimes years while their cases move forward, or plead guilty to a crime they may not have committed.

Some people pool their resources to pay a for-profit bail bonds company a non-refundable 10% fee based on their total bail amount, a fee they don’t get back even if their case is dismissed or they are found innocent.

California needs to stop wasting time and resources on this unfair and ineffective system that is harming our communities – particularly low-income people and people of color. The California Money Bail Reform Act would do this by cutting back on the number of people locked up because they can’t afford to post bail and prioritizing services to help people make their court appearances while their cases move forward.